


Fix You

by madnephelite



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Getting Back Together, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-16 02:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17541359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/pseuds/madnephelite
Summary: Lucas is broken and only one person can fix him.





	1. Remember You

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know I have another fic that I need to continue which I will do but I had this idea and couldn't wait to write it. 
> 
> I apologize for the heartbreak this might cause and there will be a lot of it.

Lucas wants to laugh at the irony of his current situation but the concrete and debris on top of him that is cutting off his air supply, is making it hard for him to breathe let alone laugh. The building had collapsed while he was inside. He had miscalculated its stability, or at least that’s what he is telling himself. In reality he had been reckless, had been for a while now.

He had been in the similar situation two years ago but unlike then there would be no one to find him and save him this time. There would be no one to disobey his direct orders. He knows that this is it. This would be his last day on earth and there are still so many things that he wanted to do in his life but also many regrets and then of course there is her, Victoria Hughes, the woman that had stolen his heart from the moment she had yelled at him.

He had known back then that he was screwed. No one had ever talked to him like that before, at least not in the time he had been the Chief. People usually walked on eggshells around him afraid to get reprimanded or fired but Victoria Hughes didn’t care about rank. She would tell it as it is even to the Chief of the entire fire department, even if telling it as it is meant telling the Chief himself that he was doing a crappy job.

He briefly forgets where he is and chuckles which makes him hiss in pain and curse but doesn’t stop him from thinking of her. Her soft hair, that he loved to tangle his fingers in whenever they kissed. Her expressive brown eyes, that made him forget all worries and sorrows whenever he looked into them and that would roll every time he tried to make a joke. Her plump lips, that he couldn’t stop kissing whenever he was around her. Her big mouth, that would yell at him and give him orders even though he was her boss but he secretly, not really all that secretly since all of Station 19 knew about his kink of Vic being the one in charge and dominating him, a fact he wished they didn’t know,  loved it. Her gorgeous face, that would light up every time she saw him and every time he would tell her how much he loved her. Her perfect body, that he loved to worship for hours and could never get enough of.

Lucas always thought the expression “your life flashes before your eyes” was a stupid one. He had many near-death experiences in his 20 years of doing this job and not once had that occurred but he also didn’t have Victoria Hughes in his life back then. She had turned his world upside down from that very first moment. She had yelled at him twice and only apologized to him about that second time. He had never expected an apology for the first time because deep down he had known that she was right about 23. He remembers the apology and how beautiful she had looked, almost like an angel and how adorable she had been tripping over her own words and all he could think about that day was her gorgeous smile and how he wanted to make her smile and laugh all the time and wanted to see her again.

And though he was concerned about his former friend Sullivan that day, he is ashamed to admit that _she_ had been the main reason he had spent all his day at 19 during that PD training session. He had made sure his schedule was cleared so he could be there. Thankfully, his assistant had not questioned that. He had felt like a lovesick puppy but then she had flirted back and it made him feel less guilty about liking one of his firefighters in a way that he clearly shouldn’t. He would steal glances at her throughout the day and he would catch her do the same and it made something inside of him awaken. Something that he hadn’t felt in a long time, maybe ever.

After his second divorce, he had been sure he would never find love again. He had buried himself in work and shut himself off to everything else. That’s how he had managed becoming a Chief at the age of 38, the youngest ever in Seattle. A fact, he had always been very proud of, that was until he realized that there was nothing more to achieve and how empty his life really was. He had dated here and there but no one had ever made him feel anything instead he had often felt even more lonely on those dates than when he was by himself in his big house.

So, to have felt the way he had about Vic in that moment had been a huge deal for him. They had spent the rest of the day flirting and now that he thinks of it, it surprises him that her team hadn’t picked up on it back then. They had not been subtle at all in their flirting. And then he had helped her with the dishes and it was just the two of them in the kitchen while everyone else was still on the roof, he really wonders how they could have been so clueless.

_“Wait, hold on. You have some chocolate right there.” she says as she wipes it off the corner of his mouth with her thumb and stops dead in her tracks and pulls away immediately as if burned._

_“OMG, I’m -- I’m so sorry, sir. I don't know what I was...” she looks mortified as she apologizes._

_“Hughes.” he interrupts but she keeps on babbling._

_“...thinking. That was totally inappropriate. I will just go.” and she turns around to leave but he grabs her hand and turns her back around to look at him and she is breathing heavily just like him but not looking at him. He carefully cups her chin to lift her head and their eyes meet._

_“I don’t know if it’s just me but I really want to kiss you right now.” he tells her and her face is a mix of surprise and shock and he hopes that he didn’t misread the flirting and that this won’t end with him getting fired for sexual harassment but then she is smiling at him and he finds that he has never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. And then she is grabbing his face and kissing him. It starts out soft and slow until she opens up her mouth to give him better access and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss as his tongue duels with hers and when they pull apart they are both breathless and flushed and needy for more. She is still smiling at him and he is caressing her cheek._

_“Wanna walk me home?” she asks suggestively and he doesn’t think he has ever wanted anyone more than her in that moment. So he just nods and lets her lead the way._

_He spends the entire night making love to her, worshiping her body, making her come several times on his tongue, fingers and cock. She is insatiable and so is he. He just can’t get enough of her. He wants to bring her pleasure and show her just how much he adores her._

_The next morning he wakes up with her in his arms and it feels so right. He starts nibbles on her neck and she giggles and that sound alone makes him hard again and she is rubbing her ass against his crotch and he just can’t help himself but have her again. So he takes her from behind and brings her to another toe curling orgasm that makes her sleepy and drift off again. He takes the opportunity to shower, reluctantly leaving her bed. When he is finished, he finds her gone from her own apartment and it makes him both chuckle but also worry that she regretted this. He spends the day at work thinking about her and their night together and of course their morning, has to remind himself that he is in public and a hard on wouldn’t look so great in front of his colleagues. He somehow managed to get through the day._

_He gives her time but the moment he comes home and settles down on his couch, he just has to call her to find out whether this was just a one and done or if there is more to it. He asks her out for coffee but doesn’t want to pressure her and tells her that the ball is in her court and that whatever she wants, he will respect it and if she wants this to be just a one time thing he will never mention it again and they will go back to being Hughes and Chief Ripley but instead she tells him that she does want to see him again and agrees to coffee and Lucas couldn’t be happier._

His thoughts are interrupted by the PASS device. He tries to take a look at his surroundings but he can barely see anything. He can hear the building and wonders how stable it is. It could collapse entirely in a few seconds but he doesn’t want to waste those seconds thinking about it instead he concentrates on Victoria.

_They had been together for 7 months, half her team had known about them already, some had been supportive like Montgomery and Gibson while Herrera and Bishop had been upset with him, thinking that he was taking advantage of Vic. They had accepted it eventually after seeing how much she meant to him but it hadn’t been easy at first._

_They are at her apartment one day, sitting on the couch watching TV when he drops the bomb._

_“I love you.” he whispers into her ear. He had wanted to tell her for a while, hadn’t planned on telling her like this in front of the TV but somehow the moment just felt right and the words came out before he could stop them._

_She turns around to look at him, shock evidently on her face._

_“Uhm, I think I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” and she stands up and locks herself inside her bathroom._

_Lucas just waits. Ten minutes go by and she is still in there. Then another ten minutes and other people would be worried by now but this is Victoria and Lucas knows her. He knows that he is her first serious relationship ever. He knows that this whole thing is a big deal for her. She is dating someone who is not only older than her and has already been married twice but is also her boss. So, Lucas gives her time. He doesn’t care how much she needs, he will give it to her but he doesn’t have to wait too long. Another ten minutes go by when she finally unlocks the bathroom door and then walks back to the couch before plopping down next to him and snuggling into his side. She breathes him in and then finally looks up into his eyes and gives him the biggest and most beautiful smile he has ever seen._

_“Sorry for this. I was just a bit overwhelmed.” and he understands._

_“I love you too. I have wanted to tell you for a while but I was just afraid. You are my first real boyfriend who I can actually see a future with and that scares me a little bit. I have never felt like this before” she confesses._

_“Neither have I.” he admits._

_“With neither of your ex-wives?” she sounds surprised._

_“It just always felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like I was never content. But with you there is a calm and I feel so content and it’s weird because of who we are at work and we still have to take on HR but I just feel like with you by my side we can manage it all. Does that make any sense to you?” and she simply nods and smiles at him._

_“I know what you mean. I feel the same way. I love you so much, Luke.”_

_“I love you too, Victoria.” he says as he leans down to kiss her. He shows her just how much he loves her right there on the couch before they move to the bedroom and he shows her some more while repeating the words “I love you” over and over again._

Oh, how he wishes he could see her face again, just one more time. Hold her in his arms, just one more time. Tell her that he loves her, just one more time. But he can’t. He can’t because he is stuck underneath this rubble. He can’t because he is about to die. And most importantly, he can’t because she is no longer his. She hasn’t been for two years. And as he lies there ready to die he thinks that maybe this is a good thing. If they hadn’t broken up they would be married or the very least be engaged by now. He is glad that she won’t be getting the news of her husband dying. He is glad that she won’t have to go through that pain. She had moved on and build herself a new life and he is glad for it. The last thing he ever wanted was to hurt her so it makes him content to know that his death won’t hurt her. He feels like he can let go now. That he can actually die in peace. So as he closes his eyes, he sees her face one last time before darkness takes over.


	2. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria remember Lucas and their time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: Thanks for all the comments on the first chapter. It makes me so happy that you all enjoyed it.  
> Secondly: This ended up much longer than originally planned. I hope everyone enjoys it. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Cristy - One of those memories is totally dedicated to you. You will know which one when you read it. Thanks for the idea ;)

Vic is at work when she hears the news and it feels like a sledgehammer to her chest. She can’t breath, can’t focus on anything but Lucas and it tears her up inside. She needs to get away from here. She hides in the bathroom, away from her colleagues and prying eyes. She can’t deal with them right now. 

She tries to breath but she can’t. It’s like her throat is closing up and she is gasping for air. She feels the panic attack coming. She needs to get herself together or she is going to join Lucas soon.

_ I'm a little teapot _

_ Short and stout _

“Take a deep breath in.” she tells herself but it’s hard with the tears streaming down her face. The crying makes it impossible for her to catch her breath.

_ Here is my handle _

_ Here is my spout _

“BREATH!” her mind is screaming at her but her body is not listening.

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout

"Tip me over

and pour me out!"

She starts wishing she had stayed outside because if she loses consciousness in here, she probably won’t be found until it’s too late.

I'm a clever teapot,

Yes it's true

“Dammit, the song is not working!” she curses as she feels the darkness take over.

When she wakes up, she is lying on the cold bathroom floor. She must have passed out due to the lack of oxygen and just for a second she forgets what had happened and why she is in here and then she remembers again and it’s like getting the news all over again but this time instead of having difficulty to breath she ends up throwing up. When she is done emptying out the contents of her stomach, she stands up on shaky legs, wipes her mouth and walks to the sink to rinse her mouth. She looks in the mirror and she doesn’t recognize the woman looking back at her. It looks like the news of Lucas demise had aged her several years. She feels weak and all she wants to do is curl into a ball and forget. She can’t take the pain, pain she didn’t expect considering that Lucas hasn’t been a part of her life for two years now and she rolls her eyes at herself for thinking that and for being so naive. She may have broken it off with him back then but there was a part of her heart that would always belong to her Chief, a part of her heart that no one could ever claim, a part that had just died with him.

She stays in the bathroom a bit longer, washes her face and tries to calm down so she can go back to work. She knows that her friends will watch her like a hawk to make sure she is okay but she doesn’t need or want that. She just wants to be left alone.

A few minutes later she exits the bathroom and goes to her station. She busies herself with work and it seems as if her colleagues understand that she doesn’t want to talk or be cuddled so they leave her be for her entire shift.

It’s only after she is done with work that she finds out that Lucas was brought to the hospital, that the doctors had repaired the damages and his heart was still beating but he was in a coma and no one knew if he was going to wake up again. 

“I need to see him” she mutters to herself and she knows that she shouldn’t, knows that she has no business being there but it’s like her feet have a mind of their own and she needs to see him with her own two eyes, needs to hear and feel his heartbeat. 

She knows her way around the ICU and sneaks into his room without being noticed and when she sees him lying there with his body broken and bruised, her breath hitches and she feels another panic attack coming but she can’t have that happen again. She needs to stop spinning and instead be there for him the best way she can. She feels the tears streaming down her face, there is no use in trying to stop them. She comes closer and her heart hurts seeing him like that. 

He looks thinner than the last time she had seen him, the lines on his forehead are deeper than they used to be, there is a lot more grey in his hair and beard and she is sure that if she were to look into his eyes she would see all the light it once held gone.

“I did this. This is all my fault.” she thinks. She knew that he was not taking good care of himself after their break-up. She knew that he had become reckless both professionally and personally but she had her own heartbreak to deal with, her own demons to fight.

As she looks at him, she can’t help but touch him. Her hand goes straight to his chest. She can hear the machines beep but she needs to feel his heartbeat underneath her own palm, needs to know that she is not just hallucinating, that he is really there. So, she lays her hand over his heart and his body is warm and his heart is beating and she breathes out a sigh of relief. 

“He is really alive!” she thinks as she lays her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat and the sound calms her, makes her feel hopeful. After a few minutes of just listening to his heart, she straightens up again. Her hand wanders up to his cheek and she carefully strokes it as she cries and cries, both happy that he is still alive but also devastated about the state that he is in. She is afraid that he won’t make it in his shape. She wonders if he knows that he has something to live, fight and wake up for even without her in his life.

“Lucas, you need to wake up. There are so many people that love you and need you in their lives. You would break your mother’s heart if you die. You know how fragile it is. Your dad would be devastated just like your sisters. And think of your nieces and nephews. Think of how much they need you and how much they adore their uncle Lucas. You are their favorite uncle.” she half-expects him to wake up to argue that he is their only uncle but he doesn’t. “You still have so much in your life to look forward to. You just need to fight and come back to them.” she wants to say “come back to me” but she has no right to say that. Not anymore.

She knows that she should leave but she can’t, she doesn’t want to. Instead she sits down in the chair beside him and starts talking to him while holding his hand. She never lets go until it’s time for her to leave.

The next day, she reads to him from one of her cheesy romance novels. She remembers how he used to make fun of her for reading them until she told him why she loves them so much.

_ “I can’t believe you are reading that crap.” he tells her as he plops down next to her on the couch. _

_ “Why? What’s wrong with them?”  _

_ “They are so unrealistic and cheesy.”  _

_ “And how would you know that, mister?” she quirks an eyebrow at him. _

_ “My sister used to read them and then complain about her boyfriends not being as amazing as all the guys in those books. Those Fabio or Don Juan guys don’t exist in real life. No normal guy can compete with them. It just sets you up for disappointment.” _

_ She chuckles as she puts the book down on the coffee table and climbs onto his lap. His arms go around her waist instantly as he pulls her closer to him. She gives him a quick kiss on the lips. _

_ “What was that for?” he wonders. _

_ “You are right about the men in those books being damn near perfect. They love unconditionally and would do anything for the woman they love. I used to read those books and laugh about how cheesy and unrealistic they are until...” she stops and looks him in the eyes. _

_ “Until?” he inquires. _

_ “Until I met you. You make me so incredibly happy and make me feel so loved. I never thought that I would find this just like the women in those books. Now instead of thinking that those guys don’t really exist because they are too perfect I know that at least one exists and he is all mine.” she beams at him. _

_ “Mine.” she kisses his forehead.  _

_ “Mine.” she kisses his cheek. _

_ “Mine.” she kisses the sensitive spot behind his ear that makes him go crazy. _

_ “Mine.” she finally kisses his lips and he kisses her back immediately, grabbing her ass and standing up from the couch, making her squeal and laugh as he carries her into their bedroom where he spends all night making love to her, showing her just how happy and loved she makes him feel. _

Vic feels a little bit hot and lightheaded thinking of that night. She remembers coming seven times that night and the night after and the night after. Lucas had always been an attentive lover, had always made sure that she was well taken care of just like those guys in the cheesy romance novels that she loves so much.

She reads to him for an hour or two. It’s quite late when she sneaks out of his room again. Thankfully no one notices.

On day 6, she walks into his room to find it decorated with pictures and drawings and she immediately knows that it was his mother’s doing. She looks at the drawings. There are two big ones hanging on the wall in front of him. They are from his nieces and nephews. He has five of them: Connor, Hunter and Maddie from his sister Sara and her husband David and Jesse and Ella from his other sister Rachel with her wife Beth. One drawing has two little girls in them playing dress up with their uncle and there is glitter all over the three of them and Vic chuckles as she remembers.

_ “Are you wearing glitter and lipstick?” she questions her boyfriend as she comes home from a long shift while he is cleaning up their living room. It takes every ounce of self-control to not laugh at him. _

_ “The little monsters decided to give me a makeover. They raided your makeup and found all the glitter.” and Vic can’t help but chuckle. _

_ “Good thing I don’t fit into your dresses and heels or I would be wearing those right now.” and that makes her burst into laughter and makes him stop what he is doing as he walks over to where she is standing. _

_ “You think this is funny?” he says in a half-serious tone and she stops laughing while shaking her head, trying to look serious but failing miserably as she starts laughing again.  _

_ He grabs her and throws her over his shoulder making her scream at him to put her down but he doesn’t listen. Instead he walks he over to their couch and drops her onto it before lying on top of her and rubbing his glitter covered clothes all over her uniform. _

_ “Dammit Lucas, this glitter will never come off of the uniform and Travis is gonna grill me about this and wonder if this is some kinky sex thing.” she tries to look and sound mad but he is kissing her neck and tickling her and she just can’t be mad at him. _

_ “Then just tell him we did role play and I was that vampire from that one book. What is it called?” he thinks for a second. “Twilight. Doesn’t he glitter in the sun?”  _

_ She starts laughing again. _

_ “How in the world do you even know that?” she wonders. _

_ “I have two nieces who love that kinda stuff.” he shrugs as he continues to attack her neck with his lips leaving lipstick and love bites behind. _

_ The next day at work, there is still glitter everywhere. That stuff may be pretty but it’s a pain to get rid of and as expected Travis notices. _

_ “Do I even want to know? This is some kind of kinky sex thing, right? Didn’t think that the Chief likes to roleplay Twilight and he bit you too. I don’t know whether to feel disgusted because he is my boss or high-five you right now.” is all he says as he shudders and walks away leaving a blushing Vic behind. _

She remembers that it took her 5 showers to get rid of all the glitter and she had to get her uniform dry cleaned. She had Lucas pay for it.

She looks at the second drawing and it’s the boys playing ball with their uncle.

_ “OMG Luke, what happened to your face?” she asks as she stands and walks over to him to look at his face. He has a black eye and a split lip. _

_ “Hunter kicked the ball in my face.” Sara starts laughing while Vic makes him sit down to inspect his injuries. _

_ “That’s really not funny, little sis.” Lucas pouts. _

_ “Hey, I told you not to play with them because they can get a little bit rough and you insisted that they couldn’t possibly have anything on their big, strong uncle Lucas. So, I’m allowed to laugh and say: I told you so.” Lucas hisses as Vic cleans the cut on his lip. _

_ “Sorry, babe.” she leans forward and kisses his bruised eye and then his lip. _

_ “Better?” she asks and he just smiles at her like a lovesick teenager and nods. _

_ The next day, he drops her off at work and her teammates see his busted face.  _

_ “Damn Vic, I didn’t think the Chief was one for liking it rough or was that some kind of sex accident?” Miller jokes and Lucas hears it and blushes. Vic just punches Miller in the shoulder to shut him up. _

She laughs at the memory and just how often her teammates assumed that everything with them was some kinky sex thing just because they had walked in on them one time where she was the Chief and he was her subordinate. 

She looks at the pictures in his room and it’s pictures with him and his sisters and parents and of course with the kids and then there is one of them and she hasn’t seen that one before, had no idea someone had captured that moment between them. 

_ The kids had insisted on going to a Medieval market and neither Lucas nor his parents were apparently able to say no to them.  _

_ “Uncle Luke and Aunt Tori, you have to dress up too. Look grandma and grandpa are already wearing their costumes.” Jesse points at them as they come out of the changing room dressed as king and queen. _

_ “We are going to be knights. Maddie and Ella are princesses and you two are going to be Maid Marian and Robin Hood.”  Connor says excitedly as he shoves them towards the dressing rooms not giving them much of choice but to comply. _

_ As Vic puts on the dress, she finds she appreciates the way it makes her boobs look, as she turns around to look at Lucas she catches him staring at her, mouth wide open and eyes almost popping out of his sockets and it makes her think of Roger Rabbit when he saw Jessica for the very first time and she feels herself getting aroused especially when she looks at his costume. The tight leather pants hugging his ass perfectly and making it look so delicious that Vic wants to take a bite. He makes the perfect Robin Hood and she wants nothing more than have her wicked way with him right then and there but that would be all sorts of inappropriate with his parents and the kids around. She would have to wait until they are home. _

_ “We are so taking those costumes home with us.” she whispers into his ear and she can’t blame him for stealing a kiss. He is Robin Hood after all. _

_ They spend the day learning how to shoot arrows and how to fight with a sword. The boys are especially fond of the sword fighting while the girls enjoy riding the horses. Lucas’ parents just enjoy the stands and taking pictures of their grandkids while Lucas and Vic just enjoy each other. They laugh, kiss and dance all day long.  _

She looks at the picture of them dancing as Marian and Robin and smiles fondly. His parents must have taken it when they weren’t paying attention and she is grateful for it. She takes her cellphone and snaps the photo before putting it back.

She spends the next two hours reminiscing and telling him about his family and how wonderful they are, hoping that he hears her and comes back to them. 

On day 8, she notices there is more color to him and he doesn’t look quite as pale anymore. The bruises have started to fade as well as the other wounds. He looks so peaceful and still so very handsome. She can’t help but thread her fingers through his hair and play with his curls. They are soft against her fingertips just like she remembers. She leans down to give him a kiss on the forehead and smiles. Today, she wants to sing to him and she has the perfect song.

“Remember our song?”

_ They are moving her stuff into his house, their house. Everyone is helping even Sullivan. _

_ “Babe, you know, I just realized that we don’t have a song. We can’t move in together without having a song first.” he tells her and she furrows her forehead.  _

_ “And what do you suggest we do about it now as I am about to move in with you?” she wonders. _

_ “Whatever song plays on the radio right now, will be our song.” he simply says. _

_ “You wanna leave our song to chance?”  _

_ “I have faith in the universe that it will choose wisely. So what do you say?” _

_ “Okay, let’s turn on the radio.” and so he does and as soon as she hears the song she starts laughing. _

_ Look for the bare necessities _

_ The simple bare necessities _

_ Forget about your worries and your strife _

_ Lucas smiles as he starts dancing like Baloo and singing the song. She rolls her eyes but is still laughing as he moves closer and starts rubbing up against her like a bear would with a tree. By now her team has entered the living room and is watching them like they are crazy.  _

_ “You know you look absolutely ridiculous.” she tells him and he nods his head but doesn’t stop dancing. _

_ I mean the bare necessities _

_ Old Mother Nature's recipes _

_ That brings the bare necessities of life _

_ “And yet you still love me.” he says. _

_ “God help me, I do!” _

_ Wherever I wander, wherever I roam _

_ I couldn't be fonder of my big home _

_ The bees are buzzin' in the tree _

_ To make some honey just for me _

_ He is still dancing as he grabs her hands and she finally gives in and dances with him, laughing throughout it all. When she looks around, she sees her friends dancing as well with only Sullivan standing still and rolling his eyes at them. _

_ The next day, Maya and Andy come up to her. _

_ “I finally understand.” Maya tells her and Vic smiles, knowing exactly what she is talking about. _

_ “Me too. Sorry it took us so long.” Andy apologizes. _

_ “You have no idea how much that means to me.” she tells them as she pulls them in a hug. _

_ They had been semi-ok with her relationship with the Chief but to know that they finally get why she is so in love with him means everything to her. _

_ “He looked so ridiculous.” Maya chuckles. _

_ “He knows.” Vic answers. _

_ “But he doesn’t care as long as it makes you laugh.” Andy replies and Vic nods with the brightest smile on her lips. _

_ “We need another girls night and you can tell us all about the goofy things he does to make you happy.” Maya declares. _

_ “Deal!” Vic simply answers. _

And so she sings their song quietly, so no one but him can hear her as she remembers their first dance in their house and it puts a smile on her face. It was one of the happiest days of her life.

And that’s what she does every single day for eleven days. She sneaks into his room during her lunch breaks without anyone noticing and if they have they haven’t busted her yet. She sings, she reads and talks to him, holding his hand the entire time. Sometimes, she wants to climb into bed with him but she is afraid to hurt him so she just holds his hand.

She avoids being there during visiting hours as to not run into his family because she just can’t face them. She visits him after her shifts and also on her days off. She practically lives at the hospital without anyone knowing or at least that’s what she thinks. She tells herself it’s because of the guilt she feels because she blames herself for his condition. She knows it’s only partially true but she just can’t admit to herself the real reason for being there with him because if she does admit it she would also have to admit that the new life she had build for herself was a lie. She is not ready for that just yet. So she lies to herself and ignores what’s in her heart instead she concentrates on him and only him. She needs to do this for him and for his family. She feels like she owes it to them and she doesn’t want to disappoint them even though they will never know.

\----------

“Victoria?” his voice is faint. He is trying to open his eyes but the light is too bright and hurting them. His throat is dry and his body feels sore. There are tubes and wires everywhere.

“Sara, go get the doctor! Your brother is waking up.” he hears his mother's voice.

“Victoria?” he asks again.

“No, it’s me, baby. Your mom.” she kisses his forehead.

“You scared us so much, son. Don’t ever do that again. Do you hear me?” he hears his father plead with him and feels him squeeze his hand.

He finally opens his eyes and sees his family smiling at him, relieved that he is awake and as he looks around he sees his two sisters and his parents and Dr. Bailey.

“Where is the rest?” he wonders aloud.

“The kids are in school. David and Beth are at work. They will join us later. The kids can’t wait to see their uncle Luke.” Rachel tells him.

“What about -- what about Victoria?”

“I’m sorry, son. She hasn’t been here.” his father replies. Lucas face falls. He was sure that she had been there to see him. He remembers her reading to him, singing their song and telling him stories about his family and about them. It must have been a dream and what a wonderful dream it had been.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Bailey inquires.

“Like a building collapsed on top of me.” Lucas jokes and as he looks at his mother she looks anything but amused.

“Mom, that was just a joke. I’m okay.”

“It’s not funny, Lucas. We were so scared you wouldn’t wake up. So, don’t joke about this.” she tells him with tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, mom.” he says as he squeezed her hand.

“You all look exhausted. Why don’t you go grab food and coffee while I take a look at me.” Dr. Bailey advises.

“That’s a good idea.” Lucas agrees.

His family leaves the room so the doctor can take a look at him.

“So, how are you really feeling?” she demands.

“She really wasn’t here?” he asks again.

“You are in the ICU and that’s strictly family only.” Dr. Bailey sighs.

“I understand.” he really was just dreaming her being there.

“So, you still haven’t answered my question.” she looks a bit annoyed with him.

“I’m okay except I don’t feel my legs.”

“I feared that might be the case. You suffered a Sacral Spinal Cord Injury which generally result in some loss of function in the hips and legs.” she explains.

“Is it permanent?” he doesn’t want to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

“You will most likely regain function of your legs again with physiotherapy. It won’t be easy though considering your age and your current physical shape. But something tells me you are a fighter. So, I’m optimistic.” she gives him a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, Dr. Bailey.” he smiles back. She just nods and leaves the room.

Later when he explains to his family what the doctor had told him, his mother cries while his father gives her comfort. His sisters and their spouses try to reassure him that everything will be okay and that they will all be there for him while the kids tell him that he is their superhero and superheroes never give up.

At night, as he is alone in his room and looking out the window, he swears that he sees her reflection in the glass but when he turns around there is no one there and it makes his heart hurt that she hasn’t been there to see him. He realizes that even after two years, his feelings for her have not changed. If anything, him almost dying had made him realize that he was still very much in love with her and would always be. He swears to himself that unlike two years ago where he just let her walk out of his life he would do everything in his power to get her back because she was his soulmate and you don’t just give up on your soulmate.

“I love you, Victoria and I will get you back.” he mumbles before falling into a peaceful sleep.


	3. The Physiotherapist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas meets his physiotherapist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a huge thank you for reading and commenting. It makes me happy that people are enjoying this.

It’s a week later and he has been moved from ICU. He is in his room, looking out the window, waiting for the physiotherapist to arrive when he hears a knock at the door. He turns around to see Victoria standing in the door, looking just as stunning as he remembers, wearing her uniform and the brightest smile. Her hair is in braids as always when she is working. His heart skips a beat and he swears that he just fell even more in love with her.

“Hi!” she greets him shyly and he smiles at her.

“Hey! How have you been?” he asks nervously. He feels like a teenager asking his crush out to prom. 

“I’m good. How are you feeling?” she seems just as nervous as him and he just stares, can’t help it considering how long it has been.

“Good. Sorry for staring at you. I just -- I just haven’t seen you since...” he starts and stops immediately.

“Since you fired me?” she finishes.

“Yeah.” his head drops.

\----------

_ Vic was on her way to headquarters. She was asked to come in, had no idea what it was about. As she arrives, Lucas’ assistant tells her to go in since they are expecting her and she wonders who “they” is. When she walks in, she sees Lucas sitting at his desk with Frankel and Sullivan standing next to him and another person that she remembers from her HR interview when her and Lucas disclosed their relationship. _

_ “Come on in, Ms. Hughes and please, close the door.” she does as Lucas asks. _

_ He motions her to sit down and she does. _

_ “What is this about? Am I in trouble?” she wonders.  _

_ Lucas stands up from his chair and he looks so intimidating as he towers over her. _

_ “I’m sorry to inform you that I have to let you go.” he starts. “You have disobeyed direct orders and almost gotten yourself and two other firefighters killed. And while there were exceptional circumstances that day and I could let you get off with a warning, I can’t ignore the previous offenses. This is your third strike and therefore I have no other choice than terminate you effective immediately.”  _

_ She feels like someone just pulled the rug from under her feet. She can’t believe this is happening. Did he really just fire her? _

_ “I didn’t even know that Andy and Maya went in with me. I didn’t ask them to come.” she tries to explain. _

_ “That doesn’t matter. You had no business going in in the first place. You should have known they would follow you. They are your friends.” his voice is rising while everyone is watching them _

_ “We made it out. Shouldn’t that be the only thing that matters?” _

_ “Barely. If you had stayed in the building five seconds longer we all would be dead now.” he is yelling now. _

_ “I have no other choice, Victoria. My hands are tied. I can’t give you special treatment.” he explains trying to calm down. _

_ “Special treatment? Right.” she huffs before standing up and leaving,slamming the door so hard that everyone at headquarters turns their head to look at her but she doesn't care. She needs to get out of there. She is crying by the time she reaches her car, trying to breath and calm down but it feels impossible. Lucas had just fired her. What was she supposed to do now? _

\----------

“For what it’s worth, I am sorry for how things went down. I never wanted to do that but you really left me no choice.” he finally looks up at her.

“I know that now but back then I just felt betrayed and hurt. That day you robbed me of a family in more ways than one and I was just so angry and heartbroken.” he can tell that she is trying not to cry in front of him.

“And how do you feel now?” 

“Like enough time has passed and I’m no longer angry and I have a new life that I love so, I’m good.” she tells him and he simply nods.

“I can see that. You always wore a uniform well.” she chuckles at his words.

“It’s scrubs and not a uniform.”

“Still. You wear it well.” she blushes.

“So, I heard you are the head of the physiotherapy department? That was your plan originally, right?”

“Yeah. I can’t believe you still remember that.” she looks surprised.

“I remember everything.” he tells her and can see her breath hitch.

“I was almost done before I decided to become a firefighter instead, so I only had to do a couple of courses and tests and got my degree. DeLukes and Dr. Bailey helped me get a job here and after a year I was named the head of the department. I mean not to brag or anything but I am the best.” he chuckles at that.

“Yeah, I bet you are.”

“So, SFD insisted that I’d be the one to take care of you. They said and I quote “We only want the best for one of our best!”. You will be my only patient for however long it takes to get you back on your feet. Pun totally intended.” she winks at him. 

“You know you don’t have to. I’m sure one of your colleagues can...”

“No, it’s fine. I’m running the department and you are kind of a high profile patient being the Chief and all.” she explains and he feels a sharp pain in his chest at her words. This is only a job for her and nothing more.

“Okay.” he nods. “Actually there is something I want to ask you.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Did you come visit me while I was in a coma?” he just needs to know.

“Uhm -- Uhm, I’m sorry, Luke. I didn’t. I had patients and was busy and even if I wanted to ICU is family only, so.” so he really only dreamed it. He was so sure that she had been there.

He looks at her and she looks nervous and he is not sure why. She is fidgeting with her hands and that’s when he finally notices. There is a ring sitting on the ring finger on her left hand and it feels like the air has been knocked out of his lungs.

“You’re engaged?!” he asks hurt and surprised.

“Uhm, yeah. It just happened like a month ago.” she avoids looking at him.

“Congrats! I’m happy for you.” he says but he doesn’t sound happy at all.

“Look, I can get you someone else if you rather not have me here. I would totally understand considering our history and well, me being engaged and all that.”

“No, I want you.” he says and she takes a deep breath and gulps. “As my therapist, I mean.” he quickly adds as he realized how that must have sounded.

“Of course. So, we just keep it professional.” she snickers at her own words.

“Yeah, professional.” he agrees as he chuckles.

“So, should we get started then?” she asks as he nods.

She walks over to the wheelchair and rolls it to his bed. He pulls the blanket off of him as she helps him to sit.

“Put your arms around me.” she instructs and he does as she puts her arms around him to place him in the wheelchair.

Her body is so warm and he can’t help but enjoy being so close to her again after all those years. He knows that this is just another job for her and doesn’t mean anything but to him it does. Her skin is still so soft. He remembers all those times that he watched her put on lotion to keep her skin moisturized and how she would always ask him to do her back and it would always end in them making out. She always smelled like coconut and vacation and she still does. He breaths her in and hopes that she doesn’t notice or this might end in a harassment suit.

When he is securely in the chair, she lets go of him and wheels him to her station.

Lucas was so sure that he was going to get her back but with her being engaged and apparently happy, he is not so sure anymore. Should he really disrupt her life like that? He had already caused her enough pain. He should really try and keep this professional, no matter how much he loved her and still wanted to be with her. He should have probably agreed to another therapist when she asked but if the next couple of weeks or months are all he is getting with her before she marries someone else then he will gladly take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, did you see this coming at all? I told you there would be more heartbreak but it will all eventually work out in the end.


	4. Burritos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic remembers their first real date after her therapy session with Lucas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda didn't plan this part to be this long but yeah it ended up like this, so the chapter that reveals the fiance will be next.

Vic comes home to an empty apartment and part of her is glad. She needs time to process the day she has had. Her first session with Lucas was emotionally draining. Seeing him again after such a long time, actually seeing him and not just watching him lay in bed while in a coma, had made her feel things that she wasn’t supposed to feel anymore. She hates that she lied to him about visiting while he was in the ICU but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea considering that she was engaged to someone else. And then she had forgotten to take off her ring. She never wears it while at work, always takes it off and keeps it in her locker but she was so anxious and nervous about seeing him again that she totally forgot about it.

She could see the hurt in his eyes when he realized that she was with someone else and not just dating but actually engaged to be married. She wonders if he had been with anyone else since their split. It had been two years after all and people have needs. Lucas was a handsome guy. Vic was sure he had no trouble finding himself company on lonely nights. She feels a pain in her chest at that thought and she feels like a hypocrite. She has no right to feel like this. She was about to marry someone else and he had every right to fuck whoever he wanted.

She sighs as she walks into the kitchen and finds a note on the fridge.

_Ciao bella,_

_Sorry I had to leave early._  
_Dinner is in the oven._  
_See you tomorrow._

_Love you xo_

She looks at the note before she crumbles it into a ball before throws it in the trash. She barely sees him at home anymore. They had tried to align their shifts so they could see each other more often but their jobs make it impossible.

Vic hears her stomach grumble and looks into the oven to find lasagne there. She is somewhat disappointed. She was really hoping for burritos. She was in a burrito kinda mood for whatever reason.

_They had been dating a little over four months and Lucas had asked her out on a real date. He had made reservation at this fancy Italian restaurant in Tacoma. He thought it was best to eat outside of Seattle so no one could see them. He just wanted to have a normal night out with her like a normal couple. She had agreed with a big smile on her face. She hated all the secrecy even though she knew why it was necessary. She wished they could be like any other couple but they were the Chief and well, her._

_She wanted to make the night a special one seeing as this was their first real date. She had bought a new dress. It was a blue, just like his eyes, with a plunging back and it hugged her curves in all the right places. He was an ass-man, so she knew that he would appreciate her in this dress. It showed off her backside perfectly._

_She was about to put on some lipstick when she hears a knock at the door and when she opens it her mouth waters. He is wearing a navy tux with a blue tie, that matches her dress and makes his eyes appear even more blue and for a second she wants to cancel their date and just spend the evening in bed with him just fucking him all night long. He looks so damn fine and she can’t believe that he is hers._

_“Wow, you look absolutely stunning!” he finally says after drooling for a minute or two. He is just as affected as she is and it makes her all hot and bothered. She is about to suggest to stay home when he speaks._

_“Please just grab your coat and purse, so we can leave or I will have no choice but to fuck you right here against the door where all your neighbors can see us and think of poor Mrs. Lynch and her fragile heart. She would probably die of a heart attack if we did that.” his voice is horse and his pupils are dilated and Vic loves the effect she has on him. She really wouldn't mind being fucked against the door but she would hate to give her neighbor a heart attack which she certainly would have if she caught them having sex in the hallway._

_He doesn’t give her much time to think as he grabs her hand and she reaches for her coat, purse and keys and they are out the door._

_They ride in comfortable silence, holding hands throughout most of the drive with her head on his shoulder. Vic feels relaxed and happy and could stay in that moment forever. She can’t remember a time she has felt like this. Lucas just made her feel calm. Most of the time anyway. She is Vic after all and has her bubbly moments where she just can’t stop rambling but lucky for her, Lucas finds it adorable._

_When they arrive at the restaurant, Lucas opens the door for her and she smiles at how chivalrous he is. It’s not like she needs a guy to do that for her but she appreciates that Lucas is a gentlemen who treats her with respect and does those little things for her that make her heart skip a beat but also turn her on immensely._

_They make their way into the restaurant, he holds the door open for her again and leads her inside with his hand at the small of her back which sends shivers down her spine._

_“I made reservation for two. The name is Lucas Ripley.” he tells the waitress as she searches for their reservation._

_“I’m sorry, sir but I can’t seem to find it. Are you sure you are in the right restaurant?” she asks politely._

_“Of course I’m sure. I made the reservation myself. A table for two on February 19 for Lucas Ripley.” and that’s when he realizes his mistake._

_“Oh shoot, today is the 18th.” the waitress looks apologetic as he curses._

_“I totally messed up the dates with all the stress at work and everything. Do you have any tables left for tonight?” Lucas asks._

_“I’m really sorry, sir. We are completely booked. The next table will be available in a few hours. I don’t suppose you want to wait that long.”_

_Lucas shakes his head and turns around to look at Vic._

_“I am so sorry, babe for ruining our evening. This is not what I planned for tonight. Can you forgive me?” she smiles at him as she leans forward to give him a kiss._

_“I don’t care where we eat as long as I am with you.” she tells him and she can hear the waitress sniff beside them. They look at her._

_“I’m sorry but you two are the cutest couple I’ve seen all day. I wish I could give you a table.” she tells them and they smile at her._

_“Thank you! That’s really sweet of you. We’ll find something else. Have a lovely night.” Vic tells her as they leave._

_“So, what now?” he asks as she looks around to see if there is something else nearby. She spies a cute little Mexican place. They are definitely overdressed for it but she doesn’t care. She is hungry and she loves burritos and she wants some._

_“Look there is a Mexican place over there. We can go and see if they have tables.” she doesn’t really give him time to answer as she walks towards the restaurant and he follows and catches up._

_When they enter, it’s warm and cozy and the wonderful smell of Mexican food hits her nostrils and she feels her mouth water._

_People look at them and their fancy attire. Vic blushes slightly._

_“Yeah, we are definitely overdressed.” he chuckles as the waiter leads them to an empty table in the back of the restaurant. It’s bigger than it appeared from the outside but it’s still cozy and feels very homely. Vic loves it._

_Lucas helps her out of her coat and they sit down. She doesn’t have to look at the menu, she knows exactly what she wants. Lucas takes a bit longer because he can’t decide. The menu looks delicious. But in the end, he orders enchiladas, extra spicy to which Vic wiggles her eyebrows at him, telling him that “he is getting his spice later tonight, allright.” He can’t help but chuckle at her as she fans herself._

_So they eat and drink and laugh and have the best time really and by the time they get to dessert, there is a mariachi band playing and it’s absolutely cheesy but Vic loves that kinda stuff, loves the ambiente of the restaurant and definitely wants to come back here. She tells Lucas so and he just nods his head in agreement._

_She smiles as she sees a little girl walking over to their table who tugs at Lucas’ sleeve and smiles shyly at him._

_“Do you want to dance with me?” she asks and Lucas nods as he stands up and picks her up and starts dancing with her._

_Vic’s heart melts at the image and she can’t help her mind wandering to a place that is way too early in their relationship but watching him with the little girl makes her wonder what their kids would look like and she imagines Lucas playing soccer with their son and dancing with their daughter and it makes her smile. She watches as Lucas whispers something into the little girls ear and puts her down on the ground. She runs to Vic, grabbing her hand and drags her to Lucas. He takes her in his arms and they start dancing and laughing. Vic watches the little one run to her table and grab her sisters and they all start twirling around them. It feels so magical and Vic never wants it to end but all good things must come to and end and really late when they finally leave but before they do the owner stops them and hands them a picture. It’s them dancing with the little girls twirling around them and Vic can’t help but hug him and thank him for the beautiful gift._

_They drive back home to her place and Lucas gets his spice like Vic promised. The next morning as he gets ready for work she watches him as he looks at the picture from last night._

_“Do you mind if I keep this?” he asks and she shakes her head and smiles at him._

_He puts it in his wallet before walking over to her, still lying in bed, kissing her on the lips and wishing her a good shift. She cuddles back into bed and smiles happily._

When she is done remembering, her food is cold and she is no longer hungry. She decides to take a shower instead and go to bed. She has a long day ahead of her, helping Lucas regain his ability to walk won’t be an easy task but she is optimistic. He has always been a fighter and she would be there for him every step of the way.


	5. The Fiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas meets the fiance or so he thinks.

Lucas remains in the hospital. The doctors want to make sure everything is one hundred percent healed before discharging him and usually Lucas would complain about having to stay at a hospital but he gets to see Vic even when they are not having their sessions and that fact alone would make him consider becoming a permanent resident there.

His sessions with Vic are several hours a day,  five times a week. Things are going well for a couple of weeks. Vic is indeed amazing at her job, not that he ever doubted it but she doesn’t make him feel like he is broken and needs to be fixed. She encourage him and pushes him without making him feel like a failure if he doesn’t succeed at the first try. She tells him that he will get better even if it takes longer, that there is no shame in that and nothing wrong with it and it makes Lucas confident that he will walk again.

She is there for him and they talk and laugh and it feels good to be close to her again even though she is engaged to someone else and that’s where things go wrong and his mood starts to change and he just feels like punching things.

Bad enough that she was engaged to another guy but watching her with him just about kills him and he can’t believe that after what happened with them she would date another colleague again.

“At least he is not her boss.” he thinks as he stares after Dr. DeLuca and Vic as he guides her out the room with his hand at the small of her back. They talk about something and he is showing her some x-rays and files and Vic is laughing and blushing and so is he and he is touching her arm and she is touching his and Lucas knows that he has no right to be jealous. The guy is her fiance after all and he should be happy that she looks so happy but he can’t help but think that it should be him but instead he is stuck in a wheelchair.

He watches her hug the guy before returning to him to continue with their session.

“Dr. DeLuca seems like a nice guy.” he says and Vic looks at him with a huge smile.

“He is amazing. He makes me laugh all the time. I just love him!” and Lucas feels a sting in his heart. He didn’t expect her to tell him that but why wouldn’t she. She was obviously in love with the guy and happy with him.

A few days later, “DeLukes” as Vic loves to call him, interrupts them yet again.

“You promised me lunch and I owe you burritos from the other night.” he tells her as they walk into her office to enjoy their meal. The nurse brings Lucas his lunch, it’s pasta and Lucas feels like throwing his plate at the Italian guy that is currently fawning over his woman.  


And so he continues to watch Vic and her fiance and the happier she is the more miserable Lucas becomes. He tries to hide it of course. He doesn’t need her to know that he still has feelings for her. 

His bad mood doesn’t change anything in regards to his progress though. He thinks the muscles in his legs are getting stronger and it’s all thanks to her. One night, when it’s really late and it’s just the two of them, both tired and exhausted but he just doesn’t want to stop just yet, wants to keep going. She looks happy to hear that and is even more happy with his progress as he is holding onto the railing and slowly dragging his feet, walking towards her. 

“Come on, Lucas. Just a few more steps. You are doing great.” her encouragement is giving him a lot of strength and the way she is looking at him, smiling and just the sparkle in her eyes give him so much energy and power and he is so close to her. He is almost there.

And when he finally reaches her, she throws her arms around him and hugs him real tight.

“You made it. OMG, I am so proud of you. That was amazing. You’re gonna be able to walk again in no time.” she tells him and the joy in her voice makes him forget for a second and he lets go of the railing to hug her back and they both tumble to the ground with him on top and she just starts laughing.

“I’m so sorry. I forgot.” he apologizes and she doesn’t stop laughing as he remains on top of her not moving, just looking at her and her beautiful face.

When the laughter subsides, she realizes the position they are in but doesn’t make a move to push him off of her instead stares into his eyes and he stares right back at her and it has been a long time since they have been this close and he wants nothing more than kiss her.

He watches her as she licks her lips and her eyes drift to his lips before looking back up into his eyes and he brings his hand up to touch her cheek while propping himself up with his other arm and he hears her breath hitch and he looks at her lips one more time before lowering his head and connecting their mouths.

Kissing her feels like fireworks and explosions. It feels like being awakened from a deep sleep. It feels like coming home. She moans into the kiss and opens up her mouth. He takes advantage and pushes his tongue into her mouth and she keeps on moaning and panting. Her legs wrap around his hips as she holds on tight to him before rolling them over so that she is on top of him and she is grinding down on him and he wishes he could feel it. He wants to feel her, needs to feel her. Her fingers are buried in his hair while his hands are massaging her ass and how he has missed it. He was an ass-man and Victoria Hughes just had the most perfect butt he had ever seen or touched and he just can’t get enough of her. 

“Oh fuck, Luke. I missed this.” she moans as she bites his lip and slowly kisses up to the spot behind his ear that makes him go crazy and his hands move underneath her shirt and she shivers and stops kissing him.

“Sorry, your hands are cold.” she explains before diving back in to kiss him again but he moves his head to the side and her lips land on his cheek and she props herself up on her arms to look down at him.

"What's wrong?" she wonders.

“We can’t do this. You are with someone else and I’m not going to be the other guy.” he tells her and that seems to sober her up. Gone is the lust and instead there is shame in her eyes as she pushes herself off of him and stands up. She grabs his wheelchair and helps him settle in.

“I’m sorry, Lucas. You are right and this won’t happen again. I promise.” she says as she goes to grab her stuff.

A few minutes later, Dr. DeLuca walks into the room and hugs her. She smiles as she hugs him back and Lucas feels his heart shatter.

“You look exhausted. Let’s get you home.” he says as he takes her bag from her to carry it, puts his arms around her waist and she rests her head against his shoulder.

“Goodnight, Lucas!” she says without turning around as they walk out of the room.

“Goodnight, Victoria!” he whispers into an empty room as he tries not to cry.

\----------

Lucas is glad that it’s Vic’s day off the next day. No such luck with Dr. DeLukes though and Lucas should feel bad that he made out with his fiance but as he watches him throughout the day, he notices him flirting with Dr. Grey, sees them at lunch together looking all lovey dovey and touching each other, laughing together. Lucas tries not to think much of it until he sees them disappear in the on-call room and come out a while later, hair tousled, still fixing their clothes and stealing one more kiss before going in opposite directions and Lucas just wants to punch him. How dare he cheat on Victoria. Doesn’t he realize what an amazing woman she is. Sure, she may have just cheated on him herself but still you don’t cheat on someone like Vic. Lucas would have never cheated on her. Not even in his wildest dreams. She was the only one he ever dreamed of and still does. 

The next morning, Vic is back and they are exercising when DeLuca walks in and it takes everything in Lucas to not punch him out especially when he tells Vic that she was missed last night.

Lucas doesn’t understand her, he can’t believe that she was so stupid to not realize that he had cheated on her or was she going to let it slide because she had cheated too? But they had at least stopped before anything really happened while DeLuca and Grey had actually slept together.

Lucas huffs, making Vic and DeLuca turn around to look at him. He glares at them before leaving the room and how he wishes, he could have stormed off on his own two damn legs but instead he is still stuck in that fuckin wheelchair.

He goes into his room and pouts for a while. When he feels calm again he goes back to her station to continue with their session.

“Where the hell did you go? What the hell is wrong with you today? You have been in the worst mood and if this is about the other night, I’m sorry that I got carried away. I told you it won’t happen again, so please go back to your training, so you can get better.”

“The hell do you care?” he spits out.

“What was that?” 

“I said, "What the hell do you care?"” he remembers that very same conversations five years ago just reversed and if he wasn’t so mad he would probably chuckle.

“What is your problem?” she asks angrily.

“What is _my_ problem? It’s you and that “wonderful” fiance of yours that you have been parading around with here for the last few weeks. Are you doing that on purpose to hurt me? And how are you so stupid and oblivious to him cheating on you with Dr. Grey? You were missed last night, my ass. He fucked her in the on-call room.”

He can see the anger rising in her but he doesn’t expect her directing it at him.

“Parading him around?” she huffs out. “I told my fiance to not come here for as long as you are my patient because I didn’t want any distractions, because getting you back on your feet was important to me and I didn’t want you to see us together and be upset about it.”

Lucas is confused. He doesn’t understand a word she is saying.

“And DeLukes, he is my best friend like Montgomery. Just not gay because Meredith, Dr. Grey, she is his fiancee. So yeah, he has not cheated on me because we are not together. Instead, I did cheat on my fiance and I feel like shit about it and I don’t need you acting like a jealous ex who thinks he needs to protect me.” and with that she turns on her heel and storms off into her office, slamming the door.

Lucas feels like an idiot. For a moment, he thinks he should leave but instead he resumes the training from before. The faster he heals and starts walking again the sooner he can just go back to his old life without Victoria. 

\----------

Vic sits in her office. She is calm again but still can’t believe that Lucas had thought that her and DeLukes were an item and that she was parading him around to hurt him. Did he really think so little of her? 

As she looks out the glass door, she is surprised to find Lucas still there and she decides that they need to clear the air if she is going to continue being his therapist.

“Lucas, can we talk?” she asks as she exits her office.

“I’m sorry, Victoria. I know I had no right and none of this is any of my business and I should have just kept my mouth shut but I just can’t help it. I thought I needed to protect you but you are not mine to protect anymore and I’m really sorry.” it tears her heart apart to hear him say all those things especially the part about her not being his anymore.

“I’m sorry, too. I realize what me and DeLuca must have looked like to you and I’m sorry for that. That’s just how we are and I didn’t think that it could be misinterpreted.”

“I need to apologize to him as well.” Vic raises an eyebrow.

“I may have threatened him.” he says sheepishly and she chuckles.

“You what? When? What did you say to him?” she inquires.

“On my way back here, after I stormed out and before we got into our fight. I told him that with such a wonderful fiance in his life, he shouldn’t be having lunch with anyone but her and if he dares to look at another woman again I would hurt him. Which now that I think of it must have looked ridiculous to him seeing as I’m stuck in a wheelchair.” he snickers.

And Vic just can’t help it as she bursts into laughter. 

“That’s really not funny.” Lucas replies.

“It kinda is. Also explains why he just canceled lunch on me. You so owe me tiramisu. I was supposed to have some of his famous homemade tiramisu and you kinda ruined that for me.” she tells him as she keeps on laughing.

\----------

The next day, she is going through files when Lucas wheels into her office.

“So, I apologized to Dr. DeLuca. I understand why the two of you are friends. He is a pretty cool guy.” he tells her as he puts a paper bag on her table.

“What’s that?” she wonders as she peaks into it.

“When I told him that you missed out on his famous tiramisu because of me, he felt sorry for me and gave me the last slice.” he says as Vic pulls out two spoons before walking over to sit at the little table in the corner. He joins her and she hands him the spoon.

“Not that you deserve it after what happened yesterday but it’s really good and tastes even better when you share it with someone.” she tells him as she digs into the dessert. Lucas smiles at her as he starts eating as well.

They eat in comfortable silence. When she looks over at him, she notices some cocoa powder in his beard and a little bit of the cream at the corner of his mouth and without thinking she reaches over the wipe his mouth and beard and his breath hitches.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Force of habit, I guess.” she tells him as she pulls her hand away slowly.

“You did the same thing before our first kiss. Remember?” he wonders.

“Of course, I remember. I remember everything with you. I wanted to kiss you all day long that day.” she confesses.

“What about now?” he leans in.

“I always want to kiss you but we can’t.” she tells him as she gives him a kiss on the cheek before running out of her own office.

_ Tonight. My place. Bring lots of tequila and more tiramisu. _ she texts DeLukes and Travis as she realizes the irony of her fleeing her own office like she once did her own apartment after hers and Lucas’ first time. She needed to make some decisions and she needed her two best friends for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't watch Grey's Anatomy so I don't really know what Dr. DeLuca is like or what his relationship with Meredith is. So, I apologize if he was totally OOC.


	6. That's what friends are for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas listen to their friends.

After Vic had ran out of her own office, Lucas chuckled at the irony of it all, he decided to have himself discharged. The doctors had no reservations whatsoever. His wounds had healed and he was feeling fine and he had no doubt about being able to walk again soon. Victoria had done a wonderful job. 

He called his best friend Sullivan to pick him up and here they are now at his house drinking a cold one and talking.

“So, how are things going at therapy?” Sully asks.

“Good. I think I will be able to walk again soon.” he answers and Sullivan rolls his eyes.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I know but you never wanted to talk about my relationship with Victoria before. So why now?”

“Because I’m no longer her boss and enough time has passed that I feel comfortable talking about the two of you. Something happened. I can tell. So, spill.”

“We kissed, well more like made out.” Lucas tells him and Sullivan gives him a disapproving look.

“I thought she is engaged?”

“She is.” Lucas confirms.

“Then why would you be so stupid to kiss her? That’s only going to break your heart.”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that? I stopped it before anything else could happen but it really doesn’t matter because it doesn’t change how I feel about her.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m in love with her. Have probably been since the moment she yelled at me. She had so much fire and it was hard not to fall for her. She is the one, Sully. She is my one.”

“And how does she feel about you?”

“I don’t know. She kinda run away.” Sullivan nods.

“What are you going to do? I mean after everything that happened with Eva, I doubt that you want to be the other guy this time around?”

“Of course not. I want to be with her but I won’t force her to do something she is not ready for yet. I guess I have to be patient.” 

“Isn’t that what got you in this situation in the first place? You being patient and waiting around for her to make a decision instead of fighting for her?” Sully makes a good point.

“I don’t want to pressure her.”

“I’m not asking you to pressure her into anything, just tell her how you feel and what you want. Let her know what her options are and not just sit on the sidelines. Otherwise you will regret it.”

“I don’t know, Sully.”

“Look, I may not have been very supportive of the two of you at the beginning. It took me some time to get used to it. She is younger and I often saw her as being somewhat flaky and I didn’t like that it could have cost you both your jobs and reputations but at one point, I realized just how happy you made each other and that when it came to you she wasn’t flaky at all but was all in and it reminded me of what I had with Claire...” Sully stops for a moment and Lucas knows that this can’t be easy for him. He never talks about Claire with him. “... and I was just happy that you had finally found that after two failed marriages. But then you broke up and the last two years have been horrible. I watched you almost destroy yourself with your recklessness and instead of going after her to get her back, you decided it was best to just risk your life on a daily basis by doing crazy things like run into unsteady buildings until one day it did almost cost you your life. I don’t know what her story with her fiance is but if she kissed you, then she shouldn’t be marrying another guy. You need to tell her, Luke. Don’t just let her walk out of your life again.”

“You are right.”

“Damn right I am. So question is, what are you going to do about it?”

“I love her. I will fight for her unlike two years ago.” Lucas makes up his mind.

“It was about time.” Sullivan says as he takes another sip from his beer and smiles.

Lucas was going to talk to Victoria tomorrow. There were so many things he needed to tell her and he hoped that he wasn’t too late. He loved her and only her and he wanted a future with her. The future he had planned before everything went to shit. His life was better with her in it, there was no doubt about it. He hoped that she felt the same way.

\----------

Vic opens the door to find her two best friends standing there with booze and lots of junk food and she is grateful for them.

She drags them into her apartment and doesn’t give them any time to take of their shoes or jackets. She sits them down on her couch and then proceeds to sit on the table in front of them.

“I think I fell back in love with Lucas.” she tells them and they stare at her and then turn towards each other and then back at her and burst out laughing.

“This is not funny. I’m being serious.”

“You thinking that you fell back in love with RIp again instead of that you still are in love with him is in fact hilarious. Come on, Vic. You really want us to believe that you haven’t been in love with him this entire time?” Travis says and DeLuca just nods.

“But what about Kevin?” she asks.

  
“What about him? He was never a factor.“ DeLuca says.

“He is my fiance.” she protests weakly.

“Yeah and I still don’t know how that happened.” Travis wonders.

“Shouldn’t you be on his side? I mean you introduced us.”

“Yeah, so you would have some fun and get laid. You were moping around and I was tired of watching you be like that over Rip. I never expected you to move in with him and then to accept his proposal.” Travis rolls his eyes at her.

“Then how come neither of you said anything about it. You really would have let me just marry him.”

“No, we actually planned an intervention but then Ripley got hurt and we figured that it will work itself out on its own and it looks like we were right.” DeLuca explains.

“Some friends you two are.” she grabs the vodka, opens it and drinks straight from the bottle, not stopping.

“Hey, slow down. We were supposed to share the booze.” Travis rips the bottle from her hands and then grabs her and makes her sit down between him and DeLukes.

“So, what happened with Rip?” 

“We kissed. Well, actually we made out and it was so hot and when I went in for more he stopped me from kissing him again because he didn’t want to be the other guy but then today he leaned in and wanted to kiss me but I ran away and now I’m just so confused.”

“What are you confused about? I mean you should have seen the guy when he threatened me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared of anyone in my life and he was sitting in a fuckin wheelchair.” Travis laughs at him.

“He still loves you and you still love him. It’s a no-brainer. Break it off with Kevin and get back together with Rip. You know that’s what you want. You are just too stubborn to go for it.”

“That’s not so easy, Travis. I still haven’t told him why I didn’t come back to him.”

“What do you mean? I thought it’s because he fired you?” Travis looks confused.

“No. I mean I was upset about that but he had no choice. I would have forgiven him for that but...”

“But what? He didn’t cheat on you, did he?” DeLuca asks anger building.

“No, nothing like that. I can’t tell you guys before I tell him and I have no idea how he will react and if he is going to forgive me and want me back after I tell him.” Vic sobs and her friends take her into their arms right away.

“And before you ask, no I didn’t cheat on him. We were happy. Cheating on him was the last thing on my mind. It was quite the opposite. I wanted everything with him and only him.”

“Vic, I don’t know what it is you need to tell him but I’ve seen the way he looked at you during those therapy sessions and let me tell you, he is madly, head over heels in love with you and I think you are too. So, break it off with Kevin already and go get your man. The one we all know you are supposed to be with.” she stares at him and she hopes that he is right. 

Travis and DeLukes stay with Vic a little while longer until Grant and Meredith call them to come home. They apologize but Vic tells them that it’s okay and that they have been a great help.

So now she is home alone again. She thinks about what her best friends had just said and she knows that they are right. She needed to break things off with Kevin. She should have never accepted his proposal in the first place. He was a nice guy and had always treated her right and deserved someone great but that someone wasn’t her. Her heart belonged to Lucas and always would. 

She decides to break it off with Kevin as soon as she sees him again. She hasn’t seen him in over a week and hasn’t even missed him if she was honest. She definitely shouldn’t be marrying him and while she has no idea what Lucas will do once she tells him everything, she knows that Kevin deserve better than her. She never wanted to be the person to play with someone’s emotions and heart like that and she had with him and she hated herself for it. She needed to make things right.

She knows her soon to be ex-fiance ain’t coming home tonight. He has another late shift, so she goes to bed. She will talk to Lucas tomorrow and explain everything to him and then come home to end things with Kevin. 

As she falls asleep she dreams of a future with Lucas, hoping that it’s what he will want as well.


	7. The Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic finally tells Lucas the painful truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, here is the reason and I was crying so hard while writing this because it hurt my heart so much. I hope you like it and I'm sorry for the pain.

The entire way to work, Vic rehearsed what she was going to say to Lucas only to find out that he was discharged and had gone home.

  
She curses under her breath because that was not the plan. So instead of talking to Lucas, she spends the day catching up on work and overthinking things with Lucas.

Her shift ends late and she doesn’t think it’s wise to go to Lucas at this hour, so she decides to go home and visit Lucas the next day.

She wakes up early the next day, heads straight to the shower, gets dressed and drives to Lucas’ place, once their place, she thinks. When she arrives, she can’t help but think of the day he asked her to move in with him and she chuckles.

\----------

She is sitting at work, having breakfast with her team and reading the newspaper when Jack asks her to quickly check for apartment listings.

“I’m not your rookie, Gibson. Do it yourself!” she groans.

“I’m kinda busy with making _your_ breakfast, so how about you help me out here.”

“Fine.” she huffs as she rolls her eyes at him.

She quickly scans the announcements when one in particular catches her eye.

“Tall, blonde and handsome guy in command is looking for a feisty, caramel-skinned, curly haired beauty to share his home with. Rent is cheap. I accept payments in form of chocolate cake, Mexican food, those smiles that make me weak in the knee and the occasional tongue lashing. Please contact your Chief for more information.”

Vic chuckles as she puts down the paper and turns around to find Lucas standing there smiling at her. She stands up and walks over to him.

“You really do like it when I yell at you, don’t you?” she teases.

“Oh, it’s the best part of my day and if you move in with me you can do it 24/7.” he chuckles.

“That sounds very tempting but I rather pay with kisses and other things.” she says suggestively.

“Really guys? Some of us are trying to eat here.” Dean complains and Vic laughs as she grabs Lucas’ hand and disappears with him in the bunk area.

“You better not be having sex in there.” she hears Dean yell.

“Do you really want me to move in with you? We haven’t really talked about it.”

“There is nothing I want more unless you don’t want to.”

“There is nothing I want more.” she answers and kisses him.

\----------

Lucas hears the knock on the door and grabs his crutches, slowly making his way to the entrance.

When he opens it, he finds Vic standing there and just the sight of her takes his breath away.

“Lucas, you are standing on your own.” she gives him a warm smile that pulls at his heartstrings and he swears that he is falling even more in love with her. She looks so damn proud of him.

“Not yet. I still need the crutches but soon.” he says but she is still smiling.

“May I come in?” she asks and he nods as he lets her in.

“I was about to make some breakfast. You want some?” he asks as he hobbles back into the kitchen.

“No, thanks.”

“What about coffee?” he yells from the kitchen.

“Sure, coffee sounds good.” he hears her answer.

\----------

She watches him hobble into the kitchen and smiles. He has made such great progress and she is so proud of him. As she looks around she notices that the house hasn’t changed much since she left. The only thing that is missing are her things and there is not a single picture of them anywhere. She spots his wallet on the table and just can’t help to reach for it. As she opens it, she finds what she was looking for and tears up.

“Do you make it a habit of going through your patient’s wallets?” he startles her.

“You scared me.”

“Well, I would apologize for that but seeing as how you are going through my stuff...”

“I’m sorry Lucas, I was just curious...”

“If I still had that picture of us?” she nods.

“You kept it all this time? Why?” she puts the wallet back as she walks over to where he is standing.

“Because it was one of the happiest nights of my life. And I know it was too soon, so I didn’t say anything but that night was when I realized that I wanted it all with you.” he confesses and she takes a deep breath.

“Lucas, there is something I need to tell you and this is two years too late and I have no idea how you will feel after I tell you. I just hope you won’t hate me.” she hangs her head before walking to his couch to sit down. She pats the empty space next to her for him to join her.

Once seated, she takes another deep breath and starts telling him what she should have told him two years ago.

“The day before I got called into headquarters, I-I found out that I was pregnant.” she watches as his eyes widen and he opens his mouth to speak “Please just let me say this before I lose my nerves and then you can yell at me and ask questions or hate me and throw me out of your house. Okay?” he nods and motions for her to continue.

“Dr. Bailey confirmed that I was 6 weeks along and I guess with all the stress with your recovery and work I just didn’t really notice that I was missing my period but yeah, I was pregnant and it was the happiest moment in my life. I was gonna be a mom and we were gonna be a family. I couldn’t wait to tell you because that day at the Mexican restaurant, when I saw you dancing with the little girl, I couldn’t help but think of you as a dad to our children and it was soon and it scared me that I already had those thoughts and feelings because I never thought I would ever find someone that I would want a family with especially not my boss. And then it happened and I didn’t want to call or text you that kinda news because I needed to see your face when I tell you that you were going to be a daddy and by the time you finally came home, I was already asleep and you didn’t wake me and the next day I was on my way to you and then you fired me and it was like a rug being pulled from underneath me. I was so mad and felt so betrayed. I went home and packed a bag. I just needed to be by myself. I left you a note and I never meant to not come back. When I wrote that I would come back to you, I fully intended to do that but I just needed some time to process what had just happened. I rented a room for the night and the next morning I woke up with cramps and I was bleeding and…” she is crying and breathing heavily. He takes her hands in his and it gives her strength to continue.

“Dr. Bailey said that the smoke inhalation from your rescue and all the stress that came with your recovery was probably the cause for the miscarriage and that it can happen with a first time pregnancy and that I shouldn’t worry about it, that I was healthy and could have as many children as I wanted. When I left the hospital, I was just driving around in my car and I got so mad at you and I couldn’t help but blame you.” he looks at her surprised.

“I blamed you because you went into that building even though everyone told you it wasn’t safe but you were the Chief, so of course you knew better and you knew I was there. I wasn’t supposed to be there because we never work the scene together with those big fires but that day was chaos and it was all hands on deck, so I was there with you. You knew I was there when you went in and then I heard the building collapse and it was like someone had ripped my heart out and then I heard your voice and I was glad that you were alive but you told us to not come for you because it wasn’t safe and…” he tells her to breath and just relax and she tries but it’s hard with the tears streaming down her face.

“...there was no way that I wouldn’t come to get you. Like how could you expect me to just stand back and watch you die? Didn’t you know how much I love you? That the thought of living a life without you was just no life at all for me? I chose to disobey your direct order and I didn’t know that Andy and Maya went after me but I am glad they did because I wouldn’t have gotten you out on my own. And I would have disobeyed your orders even if I had known that I was pregnant.” she stops for a second as she wipes away her tears and places her hand back into his again.

“I would have gone in because -- because how do I explain to my child that I just watched his or her father die without doing everything in my power to save him?” Lucas nods in understanding.

“I knew that you had no choice but to fire me and I would have accepted it but losing our baby just made me so angry and sad and irrational, I guess. I didn’t want to see you or talk to you. I had the guys pick up my stuff from your house, got myself a new apartment and buried myself in my studies and at some point the pain became less. You never came for me, so I figured you didn’t want me anyway, so I stayed away. I thought it was for the best, thought that maybe we weren’t meant to be after all.” she looks down at their joined hands before looking back up again and continuing.

“I’m really sorry, Lucas. I should have told you. We should have dealt with this together because it wasn’t just my loss. We both lost something that day and I was not thinking straight and I was being selfish and I’m so sorry for cutting you out of my life and I’m so sorry for losing our baby. I’m sorry that I didn’t protect our baby and I’m just so sorry. Please tell me that you can forgive me. Please, please, please. Please Lucas, can you forgive me?” she begs him as she cries and cries and he is crying too as her wraps his arms around her and just holds her.

“Everything is going to be okay, Victoria. I promise everything will be alright.” he repeats over and over as he lies down on his couch with her in his arms and they just hold onto each other and cry over the loss of their child until they both fall asleep.

\----------

Lucas wakes up alone on his couch. Victoria is nowhere to be found. There is a note on his table. He grabs it and reads it and it reminds him of that day he had to fire her when she had left a similar note.

I’m sorry for everything, Lucas.  
I’m sorry for all the pain I put us both through.  
I promise I will make it up to you, I just need some time.  
Please give me some time and I promise everything will be okay again.

Love,

Victoria

Lucas looks at the note and decides that he would give her time but he needed to tell her what he felt since he didn’t get to do that. He needed to tell her that she had all the time in the world and that he would be waiting for her, no matter how long.


	8. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is almost done. Just one more chapter after this.

She can’t remember the last time she had woken up in his arms. It’s been too long but it still made her feel the same way, loved and safe. As she looks down at him her heart breaks because of what she had just told him. He looked devastated when she finally told him about her miscarriage and then they fell asleep and here she is now. She has no idea what he will say to her once he wakes up. She realizes that she is scared of what he might say. He told her that everything would be okay but would it really? She gets up and grabs a piece of paper and a pen and scribbles down a note. Then she leaves his house. 

She needs some time. She needs to talk to Kevin and break up with him already. She calls the hospital to let them know that she needs a personal day or two and then she drives to her place. When she enters her apartment she finds 2 suitcases by the door.

She walks into the living room and then into the kitchen and finds Kevin sitting there.

“Hey!” she smiles sadly.

“Hey! I haven’t seen you in a while.” he smiles back.

“Yeah.” she sits down beside him and takes his hands in hers. “There is something I need to tell you.”

“I already know. You are in love with Lucas. I never really had a chance, did I?”

“I’m so sorry, Kevin. I never meant to hurt you. You deserve so much better than me. I thought I could just start a new life and forget about him but he is my one and you deserve to find your one too. You are such a wonderful guy.” she tells him and she means it. He may not be the guy for her but he has always been good to her and treated her right.

“Thank you but I think I will take a break from relationships for a while.”

“Please don’t close yourself off because of me.” she tells him and he shakes his head.

“No, this is not because of you. Just, this week I realized just how much I love my job and how I want to concentrate on that. Maybe become a detective someday and then eventually get married and have kids. I haven’t seen you in over a week and I can’t say that I missed you and I’m not trying to sound mean or cruel. It’s just...” he stops.

“No, you are not. I totally understand what you mean. I feel the same way.” he chuckles at her.

“I hope things work out for you and Lucas. From what I heard about him, he sounds like a great guy and he is lucky to have someone like you love him.” Kevin gives her hand a squeeze and then stands up to leave but Vic is quicker as she stands and pulls him into a hug. She feels his arms go around her as he hugs her back. 

When he pulls away, he looks at her one last time.

“You take care of yourself, Vic.” he tells her and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

“You too, Kevin. Don’t play the hero and get yourself shot.” she winks at him and he chuckles.

“I will try but I can’t make promises.” she watches him as he leave.

“Oh wait, hold on. Your ring.” Vic yells only to realize that she isn’t wearing it. 

He turns around and looks at her and takes something out of his pocket and shows her the ring.

“Where did you find it?”

“You left it on the nightstand. I picked it up and put it away after a few days of it just lying there. I figured you wouldn’t miss it. I guess I was right.” he chuckles.

“I’m the worst fiance ever.” she says and he smiles at her.

“Ex-fiance.” he winks at her and then he is turning back around and walking out of her life.

She doesn’t regret meeting him. He was a nice guy and she could talk to him and he made her heartbreak over Lucas a bit more bearable but she should have never moved in with him and gotten engaged to him. She knew in her heart that she wasn’t in love with him. If they had gone through with it, they both would have been miserable. 

She feels emotionally drained, so she lies down on her couch and falls asleep thinking of Lucas.

\----------

It’s late in the afternoon and Lucas is sitting at home and staring at the note that Victoria had left as he is slowly wrapping his head around everything. 

Fact is that Victoria was pregnant two years ago and they were about to be a family. 

Fact is that she had lost said baby and she blamed him and that’s why she never came back to him.

Fact is that he was indeed the one to blame. If he hadn’t been reckless and gone into the building, he would have never needed saving and Victoria would have never gone in to get him. He would have never fired her and she wouldn’t have miscarried and she would still be a firefighter and they would still be together and they would be a family now.

Fact is that he still loved her and she loved him and that they have wasted two years because they were stupid and stubborn.

Lucas thinks of how she had begged him for forgiveness for losing their baby and to him there was nothing to forgive. It wasn’t her fault. It was his. The only thing he wished she had done is tell him, so they could have dealt with the loss together. He understood why she was angry but he should have been there with her when she got the news. He should have been there to help her cope with it. They should have dealt with it together as a couple. But there is no use in thinking about the past now. What’s done is done. He should be thinking about their future. That’s all he really wants. 

He puts the note away and lies back down on the couch. He is emotionally drained. He closes his eyes and falls asleep thinking of Victoria.

\----------

Vic wakes up the next day feeling relaxed, like a burden has been taken off her shoulders. She decides to go for a walk before going over to Lucas again. 

She puts on her white summer dress and a pair of sandals, puts her hair up in a messy bun. She keeps her face make-up free except for a bit of mascara and lip balm and then she is out the door.

She walks to the park where Lucas and her used to take his nieces and nephews for picnics. She sits down on a bench and smiles as she remembers.

\----------

“Uncle Lucas, higher.” Maddie and Ella order as Vic watches them amused. 

She is sitting on a blanket in the park as she watches Lucas push Ella and Maddie on the swing. All three of them are laughing and happy and Vic loves seeing her boyfriend like that. Carefree and happy. Her mind wanders as it usually does when she sees him with children. She thinks that he will be the perfect dad, can’t wait to have a couple of Hughes-Ripley babies running around in their house. They haven’t talked about it yet but Vic knows that he is the one. She knows what she wants and she wants it all with Lucas. Her thoughts are interrupted by one of the boys.

“Aunty Vicky, do you wanna play ball with us?” she looks up to find Hunter standing in front of her. The kids have started calling her aunty a while ago and she can’t say that she minds. She has felt like a part of Lucas’ family since the first time she met them. They were so welcoming.

“Aunty Vicky?” Hunter asks again.

“Oh sorry. Sure, I would love to play with you, just don’t kick me in the face like you did your uncle Luke the other week.” Hunter chuckles.

“I would never do that. You are too pretty.” he smiles at her and she just rolls her eyes. He is a charmer just like his uncle Luke.

She plays with the boys for a while before the girls join them. Lucas and her retire to the blanket and just watch them.

“I love watching you with the kids.” he tells her. 

“Is that so?” she looks at him and smirks before leaning in to kiss him.

“Makes me think of...” he stops.

“Makes you think of what?”

“Just that... I think you will make an amazing mom someday.” 

“And I think you will make an amazing dad someday.” she tells him and he smiles at her. 

“Is it okay though that I don’t want to share you with anyone just yet?” she chuckles.

“It’s okay, babe. I don’t want to share you with anyone either. For now. But if it happens...” she starts but he interrupts her.

“If it happens I will be the happiest guy on the planet.” he finishes and she kisses him again.

“I love you, Lucas.”

“I love you too, Victoria.” he deepens the kiss.

“Eww.” they stop as they turn to see the kids watching them with disgusted faces.

“Yeah, definitely not ready to share you just yet.” he repeats and she just laughs at him.

\----------

“Hey!” he finds her sitting on a bench, deep in thoughts.

“Hey! What are you doing here? How did you find me?” she asks.

“I don’t know. I just--I just started walking and ended up here.” she nods. “Do you mind if I sit down?” he asks and she nods again.

He sits down beside her, setting the crutches aside next to him.

“What were you thinking about?” he asks her.

“That day when we kinda decided that we wanted to have kids together. That was a good day.” she replies and he smiles at her.

“Yeah, it was.” he takes her hands in his. “I’m sorry Victoria. I’m sorry for running into that building. I’m sorry that you had to come in and save me. I’m sorry that I fired you and most of all I’m sorry for being responsible for your miscarriage. I wish I had known. I wish I could have been there for you. I should have been there for you and should have taken care of you but I wasn’t and I’m sorry for that. I should have come to you but I was stubborn and stupid and I’m so sorry.” he hangs his head as he starts crying.

Vic removes her hands from his hold and grabs his face so he can look at her.

“I’m sorry too for blaming you because it wasn’t your fault. You are right, you should have known. I should have told you because it was your baby too but I didn’t and I’m so sorry for that. Can you forgive me?” she is crying too.

“Only if you can forgive me.” and she nods at him and leans forward to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. He kisses her back before hugging her and just holding her as they both cry once again.

They stay like that for a long moment before he finally pulls away and leans back on the bench with his arm wrapped around her. He looks at the playground and notices something he hasn’t before.

“That tree wasn’t there before, was it?” he asks and watches her as she shakes her head.

“No, I planted it a week after I lost our baby. I don’t know, it’s probably stupid but I came here every week for the past two years to watch it grow and change. It helped me cope with the loss in some way.” he smiles at her as he pulls a little velvet box out of his pocket and turns to look at her again. He opens the box and she gasps.

“This was my great-grandmother's ring. My mom said that she put it aside for me to give to you after the first time I talked about you.” Victoria furrows her eyebrows.

“The first time I talked about you with my mother was when I complained about you yelling at me.” she bursts into laughter.

“Yeah, I know. She said that she had never seen such fire in my eyes when talking about someone and she just knew that you would be the one and she was right. She handed me the ring after the first time she met you and told me not to mess it up or she would disown me.” Vic snickers.

“Yeah, that sounds like your mom.” he nods.

“I know you said you need time and you can have all the time in the world. This is just me making you a promise that I won’t go anywhere and that I’m right here waiting for you until you are ready. I won’t push you but I also won’t make the mistake again to just walk away from you and us. I love you, Victoria. I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. This ring is yours for safekeeping until you are ready.”

“No.” she shakes her head.

“No?” he repeats and feels his heart breaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know, I'm evil. I'm sorry.


	9. Fixed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas get their happy ending.

“No?” he repeats and she watches as his face falls and she realizes what she had just said.

“OMG, no Lucas. That’s not what I meant with “no”. I meant no to waiting. I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to be with you. I want to marry you. I don’t want to wait. We have wasted two years and I hate it and I don’t want to waste anymore time. I want us to grow old together and I want it all now and not later.” she tells him and he breathes a sigh of relief as she watches him go down on one knee and she knows that it’s not easy even with all the progress he has made.

“Lucas you don’t need to go down on one knee.” she tells him but he shakes his head.

“Yes, I do or I will never hear the end of it when you my mother and sisters find out.” he chuckles and she just shakes her head at him. She has waited for this moment for so long and now that it was there her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She was so nervous and excited.

“My mom was right when she said that there was a spark in my eyes the first time I talked about you because I had never met anyone quite like you before. I never had anyone yell at me and tell me how to do my job and then you came along and did all that and my world changed. I had to throw you out of the room so I wouldn’t do anything stupid like kiss you and then you yelled at me again and it hurt me that you thought that I didn’t care about my people, that I didn’t care about  _ you _ . When you apologized and we shared that moment I just knew that I had to see you again so I spent an entire day at 19 just to be near you and you flirted with me and when we kissed I knew I could never walk away from you, from us. Every day after that first night together has been an adventure and I wanna go on many more with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep with you in my arms every night. I don’t want to be apart from you ever again. I want us to have as many kids as we can. Beautiful babies who are just as amazing as their mother. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Victoria Katherine Hughes, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” she is in tears by the time he finishes.

“What do you think?” she smiles at him through her tears. “I love you so much and I will make sure to tell you every single day for the rest of our lives.”

He takes the ring out of the box and slips it onto her finger.

“It’s the perfect fit!” he exclaims before kissing her. She kisses him back as she drags him back up to sit next to her.

“I love you, Victoria.” he tells her between kisses and she smiles as she repeats the words.

When air becomes necessity, they finally pull away from each other.

“I can’t believe we are finally engaged.” she looks at her hand and the ring on her finger. 

“It’s a beautiful ring. Your great-grandfather had great taste.” she tells him and kisses him again before making herself comfortable in his arms.

“Is it wrong that I want to just go to city hall and marry you right away?” he asks her and she looks up at him.

“What about our families and friends?” she wonders.

“We can do a big wedding with everyone later but like you said, we wasted so much time and I don’t want to wait anymore to be your husband.”

“And I don’t want to wait to be your wife.” she tells him as she stands up and offers her hand to him. He takes it and she pulls him up. He grabs his crutches and they slowly make their way to city hall.

“You should text Sully. You need a best man.”

“And you should text Travis. You know he would never ever talk to you again if you didn’t.”

“You may have a point there.” she chuckles.

They both text their best friends as they stand in front of city hall and then they wait and wait and soon enough there are sirens to be heard and less than ten minutes later the entire team from 19 is standing in front of them.

“Really? You two told everyone?” Vic complains.

“They would have noticed if we had sneaked out.” Travis explains.

“You didn’t really plan on getting married without us, did you?” Maya asks as she hugs her friend. “I’m so happy you two are back together.” she whispers into her ear.

“Me too.” Vic gives her a smile.

“Did you plan this?” Andy wonders as she looks at Vic’s outfit. 

Vic looks down and laughs. She almost forgot that she was wearing a white dress.

“I really didn’t. Just felt like wearing a white dress.” she laughs.

“Okay, enough chit chat. Let’s go get married.” Lucas interrupts them. He is impatient and Vic looks at him and smiles. She loves that he can’t wait to marry her neither can she.

They go inside, fill out the necessary forms and pay for the marriage license and then they are standing in front of a Marriage Officiant, holding hands with their friends witnessing it.

“Victoria Katherine Hughes, will you take thee, Lucas Jonas Ripley, as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.” she beams at Lucas.

“Lucas Jonas Ripley, will you take thee, Victoria Katherine Hughes, as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.” there is so much love in his eyes and Vic feels like her heart is about to burst.

“Who has the rings?” the officiant asks.

“OMG, we totally forgot the rings.” she realizes.

But Lucas is already pulling something out of his pocket. He opens his palm and reveals two wedding bands. They are simple and white gold, just as Vic likes. She is not one for fancy jewelry and she is glad that he knows her so well. 

“My baby thinks of everything” she smiles at him as she takes the bigger ring from his hand. 

Lucas shows her the other ring, her ring, and it is engraved with the words: Soulmates.

“OMG, Lucas.” she gasps as her eyes fill with tears. 

They exchange rings and then they are pronounced husband and wife.

“You may kiss your wife.” Lucas doesn’t waste a second to do exactly that.

Their friends are clapping, cheering and whistling and congratulating them and Vic can’t remember a time she has felt happier. She was finally Mrs. Hughes-Ripley, the way it was always meant to be.

\----------

Vic moves back into their house the next day and it’s like she had never left. Lucas plays “Bare Necessities” while they move her stuff and it’s like the first time she moved in. They laugh and dance and then spend the rest of the night making love to each other.

They also apologize to their families and other friends for not waiting and getting married without them but most of them understand and are just happy that they finally tied the knot. Vic and Lucas promise them a big wedding and party at some point.

Lucas makes a full recovery two weeks after their wedding and goes back to being the Chief of the Fire Department and Vic makes him promise her to never ever take any unnecessary risks at his job again. While she is worried about him every day, she also appreciates him being back in his uniform and spends every night peeling it off of him and having her wicked way with him. She just can’t get enough of him.

They have been married for three months and are sitting in the park underneath their tree. Lucas has his head in her lap while Vic is playing with his soft curls and it’s just the perfect day. They are both off work and just enjoy being together.

“Babe, I should probably tell you that my lap is gonna get kinda crowded real soon.” she smirks at him.

He looks up and looks at her.

“What did you say?”

“I said that you should enjoy your place on my lap because it’s gonna get a little bit crowded on there real soon.” she repeats and the smile that breaks out on his face as soon as he realizes what she means makes her heart skip a beat and fall in love with him just a little bit more if that is even possible.

“Really?” he asks and Vic just nods her head and then he is turning towards her still flat tummy and is kissing it and the next thing she knows his arms go around her waist and he is lying there hugging her waist and kissing her belly and it must look weird to other people but Vic doesn’t care. They are going to be a family and she couldn’t be happier.

When they come home that day, he tells her that he wants to make love to the mother of his child and Vic melts at his words. He is so gentle and careful with her that night until she begs him to take her harder and he laughs but does exactly what he is told because he loves taking orders from her.

Vic’s pregnancy goes well at the beginning but when they find out that she is pregnant with twins things get a bit too much for her and she has to be put on bedrest. She hates it, hates being stuck at home. Lucas tries to to be with her as much as he can but he can’t completely abandon his job and Vic doesn’t want him to.

She finally gives birth a few months later to a healthy little baby boy and a baby girl. He is the same caramel shade as Vic with lighter curls and blue eyes like his daddy while she is lighter than Vic but not as light as Lucas, her hair is dark and curly and her eyes are brown like her mommy’s. Vic is exhausted but happy and Lucas is probably the proudest daddy the hospital has ever seen. The grandparents are ecstatic and  Vic’s old team can’t get enough of the babies. Travis tears up when Vic and Lucas ask him to be the godfather. He doesn’t let anyone hold the twins for the rest of the night.

  
Vic and the twins finally get released from the hospital a few days later and life with them is quite the adventure. After one especially exhausting day of taking care of the twins, the new parents fall into bed together, Vic snuggles into his side and they are both tired and ready to sleep.

“Thank you for everything, my love. You took a broken man and fixed him in more ways than one.” he tells her as he kisses her forehead.

“We fixed each other.” she replies as she kisses him on the lips and then she wrapping her arms around his waist and lays her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. 

“I love you, Mrs. Hughes-Ripley.” he tells her.

“I love you too, Mr. Hughes-Ripley.” she says, making him chuckle before they both drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read it, enjoyed it, left kudos and comments. This story was an emotional ride and I loved every second of it.


End file.
